COLUMBUS – Dreaming of a White Christmas?
Keep dreaming.
Average December temperatures for the Columbus area have been running at 5.5 degrees above normal since the beginning of the month, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington, Ohio.
And don’t expect this weekend’s weather to help much.
READ MORE: In The Columbus Dispatch
The thermometer is expected to reach 63 on Saturday and 62 on Sunday, said James Gibson, a National Weather Service meteorologist. Rain is expected both days.
Next week, the highs will be in the mid-40s. That’s warmer and less snowy than a lot of Easters or opening days for baseball around these parts.
You can thank the strongest El Nino on record. El Nino is the periodic warming of the central and equatorial Pacific Ocean that affects weather patterns in North America.
The last strong El Nino winter was 1997-1998, when just 6.3 inches of snow fell in Columbus.
Columbus might see a little snow Dec. 17 through Dec. 19, said Paul Pastelok, a senior meteorologist for AccuWeather in State College, Pa.
But as for Christmas? “I don’t think it will stick,” he said.